Rafa admits: No big buys in January

RAFA BENITEZ has warned Everton fans not to expect a January spending spree to solve the club’s current woes.

Instead, the new Toffees boss insists he must sort out deep-running historical problems, which have seen much of the £400million owner Farhad Moshiri has invested in players gone to waste.

Everton have lost their last three matches and now face a tough run, starting tomorrow with Spurs, and taking in Manchester City, bitterrivals Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Leicester, along with tricky visits to Brentford and Crystal Palace.

But Benitez explained there will not be bags of cash to sort out problems in January.

“I think we will have some money to spend but I don’t think that will be too much,” he said.

“When we talk about the owner, who has spent £400m in the last years, we cannot blame him for that. At the same time, it is a pity we couldn’t spend the money this year because of financial fair play.

“We have to be creative and think about how to manage the situation in the best way possible and be sure that in

January we can be stronger.” Benitez says the club’s issues run deep after several years of wasteful spending. And he has bluntly told fans those problems must be sorted, as he begins rebuilding.

“We have to be sure we are spending the money properly and the team will be stronger and better,” he said. “We have to be sure we improve things that weren’t right.

“If not, then you cannot justify why we are where we are, after spending the fourth most in the last five years.”

The answer, he says, may be more deals like those that brought Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray to Goodison for just £1.75m in total.

“It doesn’t matter the price, it is more about the mentality,” he added. “The fans know the kind of players you need here. If we can buy them, fine. If not, we can loan them and make sure they stay here with us in future.” Everton are still without Yerry Mina, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Andre Gomes, but Lucas Digne

will return.